IWC MEETING - ITALY UNLIKELY TO VOTE BUT STILL

UNCLAS ROME 004911 SIPDIS OES FOR OA JEAN-PIERRE PLE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS SENV KSCA IT IWC SUBJECT: IWC MEETING - ITALY UNLIKELY TO VOTE BUT STILL PLANS TO ATTEND REFTEL: STATE 190306 ¶1. ON OCTOBER 4, POST PRESENTED REFTEL DEMARCHE TO SILVIA DE BERTOLDI, ASSISTANT TO GIUSEPPE AMBROSIO, THE ITALIAN IWC COMMISSIONER. DE BERTOLDI WAS CONFIDENT THAT ITALY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VOTE AT THE IWC SPECIAL MEETING SINCE THE FISHERIES DIRECTOR GENERAL HAD SIGNED THE IWC-ARREARS PAYMENT DECREE ON SEPT. 30. UNFORTUNATELY, DURING A FOLLOW- UP CONVERSATION, DE BERTOLDI TOLD US OCT 8 THAT THE ITALIAN BUREAUCRACY WOULD TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN EXPECTED AND THAT UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 04911 081514Z THE GOI WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PAY ITS 2001 ASSESSMENT BEFORE THE OCT. 14-17 MEETING. ¶2. DE BERTOLDI WAS TOLD BY THE IWC SECRETARIAT THAT A "SIGNED PROMISE TO PAY" WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT FOR VOTING, BUT THAT A GOI CHECK COULD BE ACCEPTED. SINCE "BRINGING A GOI CHECK" IMPLIES INCLUSION OF A TREASURY MINISTRY OFFICER IN THE DELEGATION, THE CHANCE THAT ITALY WILL VOTE IS LOW. DE BERTOLDI TOLD US THAT IF ITALY COULD NOT VOTE, THE GOI WILL PROBABLY NOT ATTEND THE MEETING, BECAUSE OF A UNDERSTANDABLE EMBARRASSMENT. HOWEVER, WHEN WE EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF ITALY'S PARTICIPATION TO ESTABLISH A QUORUM SO THAT THE BOWHEAD QUOTA COULD BE ADOPTED, DE BERTOLDI TOLD US THAT THE GOI WOULD BE PRESENT. ¶3. THE GOI WILL BE REPRESENTED BY DE BERTOLDI, AND PROF. NOTARBARTOLO DI SCIARRA (THE FORMER COMMISSIONER) - AND LIKELY A TREASURY MINISTRY OFFICER. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME04911 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED